2903: When Life Hands You Problems, Use This Flowchart by Nia Shanks on Personal Growth and Development

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[00:00:30] This is Optimal Health Daily. When Life Hands You Problems, Use This Flowchart by Nia Shanks of niashanks.com. And I'm Dr. Neal, your host and narrator. Hey there, happy Sunday and welcome to Optimal Health Daily or OHD, where I read to you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs online. Alright, I'm going to keep this nice and short, so let's get right to today's article as we optimize your life.

[00:00:59] When Life Hands You Problems, Use This Flowchart by Nia Shanks of niashanks.com. Life is packed with complicated messes. Clean one up and two more will replace it. Ah, life. She can be exuberant, beautiful and magnificent, but she can also be filthy, confusing and laden with choices and problems. Complicated as life can be, there are instances that are made unnecessarily complicated.

[00:01:27] Heck, some people make things more convoluted than they need to be to stroke their ego and sound superior. If they make something appear incredibly complex, something you can't possibly figure out on your own, you'll have no choice but to surrender to their superior knowledge and expertise. Health and fitness, saving for retirement and investing, learning new skills, you name it. And there's someone or lots of someones out there saying, if you want to be successful, then you must follow their plan without deviation.

[00:01:56] As it turns out, many things in life aren't nearly as complicated as some want you to believe. There are problems we face each day, for example, that have an incredibly simple solution. That's why I created a simple, handy flowchart to navigate the waters of life. This honest, effective chart has been working wonderfully for me the past couple of months. I thought you'd enjoy using it too for life's messy moments. I developed this chart after I exclaimed,

[00:02:24] Wow, all of that complaining and worrying that led to zero action certainly was productive and worth my time. Yes, I was in the process of whining about a situation yet again and came up with the following flowchart to sift my problems. It goes like this. This problem or situation I'm dealing with, can I influence the outcome? Yes or no? If no, well then shut up and move on. If yes, great! Now shut up and do something productive.

[00:02:55] Simple, honest, effective. You can tape it to your mirror, put it in your journal, glue it to your forehead, whatever. Whenever you face a situation, run it through the flowchart. Let's put this chart to use, shall we? Here are some of my recent examples. Try not to laugh at some of my quote-unquote problems. Example 1. My problem. I wish the dogs and cats at our local shelter could have a chance at a better life. This problem or situation I'm dealing with.

[00:03:24] Can I influence the outcome? You bet your puppy-loving butt I can. Great, now shut up and do something productive, as indicated by the nifty flowchart. My something productive was donating 10% of the recent workout of the month to my local humane society. Example 2. My problem. It's hotter than two squirrels making love in a wool sock outside, and I'm miserable. This problem, situation I'm dealing with. Can I influence the outcome?

[00:03:53] Nope. I can't do a thing. The answer, according to the flowchart, will then shut up and move on. Got it. I'm determined to melt quietly this summer because complaining does nothing other than annoy those who hear me gripe. Example 3. My problem. After owning a house for over 3 years, I realized I didn't like owning a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home. It felt like too much for just the two of us. Plus, I loathe maintenance. This problem, situation I'm dealing with.

[00:04:23] Can I influence the outcome? Heck yes. And I did. Meaning, I shut up and did something productive. Though it was a pain at times. I'm never having another garage sale. That was a nightmare. Oh, you want $2 for this? Well, I'll only give you 75 cents, and I want you to gift wrap it. Instead, we downsized and moved into a wonderful, 1-bedroom townhome. I shut my mouth, did something about the situation, and now I'm much happier. And example 4. This one is more of a complaint.

[00:04:53] Some people are a-holes. This problem, situation I'm dealing with. Can I influence the outcome? This one is tricky. Yes and no. Either way, shut up seems to be part of the solution according to the chart. So do what you can and move on. You can't change people, but you can be the best version of yourself. And this can have a positive influence on those around you. The solution? Be the best version of yourself.

[00:05:21] Allow the number one rule to not suck at life, which is basically don't be an a-hole, and hope you inspire others, and don't worry about those you can't change. I have dozens more examples, but hopefully you get the point. Now, it's your turn. The next time you find yourself in a tangled mess or just griping about random events in your life, use the flowchart. Here's one recommendation. Begin with the simplest solution.

[00:05:48] Often, we'd be better off choosing a simple quality action rather than a complicated course of action filled with unnecessary filler and fluff. You just listened to the post titled, When Life Hands You Problems, Use This Flowchart by Nia Shanks of niashanks.com. And I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neil here for my commentary. Today's author, Nia Shanks, gave us a technique that I actually use all the time.

[00:06:18] I can't remember where I first heard about it, but you know what? It's very likely that I first read it when reading to you one of Nia's posts. So I'm going to give Nia credit for introducing this to me. Here it is. In any situation, imagine how the best, most ideal version of you would behave. For example, say you're super nervous about getting started on a new workout routine or a big presentation or interview you have coming up.

[00:06:46] Now, imagine how the best, most ideal version of you would handle this situation. Would this best, most ideal version of you let nervousness or procrastination stop you from taking control of the situation? Absolutely not. The best, most ideal version of you would tackle the situation head on. How about someone cuts you off in traffic or takes their anger out on you? Stop and ask, How would the best, most ideal version of me act right now?

[00:07:16] Probably with patience and grace. So when you bump up against a challenge, absolutely use the flow chart Nia shared with us in today's episode. And if you find yourself still stuck and unable to move forward, ask yourself, How would the best, most ideal version of me handle this? And you'll probably end up making a great decision. Alright, that'll do it for today's episode. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for sharing this show with someone and listening every day. I hope you have a great rest of your weekend.

[00:07:46] And I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.